Systems, AI and NPCs

One of the things we wanted to do with this release was use the
variety already in the galaxy maps a bit more. Previously, one
Corporate State was much like another - economy had a small effect,
but only a small one - but there's so much more potential in the
maps. On
the ClymAngus
maps of chart 5, Xevera, a Tech 15 Rich Industrial Corporate
State, is surrounded by five Anarchy systems in jump range, and the
label on the chart just says "The Siege Worlds". You can easily see
why it got that name.

Previously, though, if you've actually visited Xevera, there's not
been anything in-system to distinguish it from any of the other Tech
15 Rich Industrial Corporate States. In 1.80, that's changed - it
gets regular raids from the nearby anarchies, and has extremely
well-armed Viper Interceptor patrols paid for by the wealthy system
government who try to intercept the pirates as soon as they jump
in. It's also a favoured base for bounty hunters wanting to turn the
tables and carry out strikes on the anarchies, because they can buy
lots of equipment, get good repairs, and not have to worry too much
about pirates on the way home.

Compare this with Ceesxe in chart 1 - same government, economy and
tech level, but rather than being an outpost of Cooperative-friendly
stability in a dense pirate hub, it's a border system with only three
relatively stable neighbours. Very safe, with maybe the occasional
pirate raid from nearby Veis, and not particularly popular with bounty
hunters because there's hardly anything to hunt.

To help with this variety, the NPC AIs have been significantly
upgraded, and the sorts of NPCs you'll encounter have been
diversified. Pirates, for example, as well as the disorganised bands
you saw previously, now sometimes also operate in well-organised packs
centred around a heavy freighter - usually still a Python, but you'll
also see Boas and occasionally even larger freighters operating out of
the roughest systems. A full strength pirate pack can be well over ten
fighters in addition to the command ship, as well as a couple of
well-armed heavy fighters such as Asps or Fer-de-lances which split
off from the main group, and do daring hit-and-run attacks on police
and bounty hunter patrols while the rest of the pack go about the business of
intimidating traders into giving up their cargo.

The game also tries to fit the player in a bit better. In Oolite
1.77 the game assumed that the player was basically a trader - pirates
would attack you for cargo, and everyone else would mostly ignore you
unless there was a bounty to get or you attacked them first. Now, your
actions are used to determine what sort of pilot you are (or at least,
what the locals have heard about you). Go around trading goods, and
the pirates will attack you to steal them. Make a reputation as a
fearsome bounty hunter, and they'll actively try to avoid you, unless
they think the odds are really in their favour. Gain notoriety as a
pirate yourself, and they'll happily let you tag along on their raids
and pick up a share of the loot.

All the other NPC types make similar judgements about what you've
done. Get a reputation as a pirate and then go clean, and the police
might not be attacking you, but they might follow you for a bit just
to make sure you're staying clean. Make powerful enemies
transporting the wrong passengers, and not only will you have to
contend with assassins after your clients, but they might put a price
on your head after the job's complete too, as a punishment for daring
to defy them.

Expansion pack format and manager

Another big change has been in significantly simplifying how you
install expansion packs. There
are over five
hundred of them available written by members of the community, and
one of the most important features of Oolite is that they're easy to
write. However, it's sometimes been more effort than it needs to be to
install them, or to find out that there's a new version or a new pack
that you're interested in. Unless you read the forum regularly, it's
been easy to miss updates.

So, there's now a new expansion pack format that puts all the data
into a single file, and Oolite can download and install these at your
request. If you've already installed it, and there's an update
available, this is highlighted too.

There are now over two hundred expansion packs ready to download
and install without having to leave the game, and more are being
converted and written every week.

Other updates

There are lots of other changes as well, including:

an upgraded joystick config page

positional sound up to 7.1 surround or binaural HRTF now supported

updated graphics for suns, planets, ships, explosions and more

a tutorial for people who've never played the game before

saving at (some) secondary stations such as rock hermits

more variety in parcel and passenger contracts

new HUD elements

many more tweaks and bug fixes

Expansion pack writers have lots of new features as well, including
a powerful new AI library which you can use and extend with
Javascript, many more properties and methods for customising the game,
the ability for expansions to define new starting positions, or add
more one-off scenarios alongside the tutorial - and of course, the new
expansion pack format to make it even easier to get your creations to
a wider audience.

Upgrading an existing installation

Oolite 1.80 should install straightforwardly and be compatible with
almost all the OXPs you already have. However, there are a few things you
should be aware of when you upgrade:

The default key configuration has changed - a few new keys have been added, and "dump cargo" has been changed from "d" to "shift-D" to reduce accidental jettisoning. If you have a custom keyconfig.plist you will need to add the new key settings to it. Check the new keyboard control summary from the start screen to see your current settings. Other new keys: ';' and ':' control the new HUD multi-function displays in the tutorial or with appropriate expansions installed, and '?' on the long range chart now highlights systems by economy, government or tech level if you have an Advanced Navigation Array fitted.

Your Commander name and your save game name are no longer required to be the same - you can set your Commander name in the F4 interfaces screen, then call your save games whatever you like. No more "Hello, Commander Jameson37-backup-2" messages from NPCs.

The graphics detail settings have changed a little. If you have a dedicated graphics card - or even a reasonably modern built-in one - then your computer can probably handle the new "Extra Detail" graphics setting with no problems, but Oolite won't enable this for you.

If you use a joystick or other controller, the configuration for deadzones and axis response has been significantly upgraded, and you should be able to get much better results. You can update your configuration through Game Options as usual.

You can now bind any primable equipment you like to the 'tab' and '0' keys through an interface on the F4 screen. The equipment previously on those keys has been converted to primable equipment.

If you were using Strict Mode before, this now only disables expansion packs, and does not make any other game play changes.

Expansion pack compatibility

If you have expansion packs in the OXP format already installed, you will need to uninstall them yourself when you install the corresponding OXZ format releases. Oolite cannot automatically determine which OXP folders might correspond to OXZ releases as the OXP format does not contain appropriate metadata. The OXP versions will not show up as already installed in the expansion pack manager, and will potentially cause conflicts if you don't remove them first.

While we have tried to keep old ship and shipset OXPs working as much as possible with all the changes made to ship AIs, if you have installed a replacement shipset OXP (i.e. an OXP which replaces the look of the default Oolite ships including the Cobra on the start screen) then you should install the Shipset Compatibility OXZ from the 'Miscellaneous' section of the expansion pack manager. This is only necessary temporarily until the OXP authors release an updated version of the shipset.

Most alternative HUD OXPs have not yet been updated to use the new features available in Oolite 1.80. They will still work, but other OXPs - and the new tutorial - may require the new HUD features for proper running. You may find it better to temporarily remove your HUD OXP until an updated version is available, or use one of the other updated HUDs already available in the expansion pack manager.

Older versions of the Energy Bomb OXP are not compatible with Oolite 1.80. If you installed this OXP before November 2013, you will need to upgrade to keep this weapon working. The version available in the expansion pack manager works, of course.

“Smuggling was an offence; violating docking protocols was an offence. Attacking merchant ships, blasting open their hulls to steal their cargo and sending their crews to a choking death in the blackness of space was an offence. In a system like Qudira one did not have to be an expert in Co-op law to know what kind of offender to expect.” — from Calliope by Blaze O'Glory